User:G H Smith/sandbox

=Timothy J. Keegan= Tim Keegan is the President and CEO of The American Underwriting Group LLC., a multi-faceted, multi-channel sales, marketing and membership organization that utilizes a variety of distribution platforms in order to provide information, advocacy, insurance products and assistance directly to consumers, associations, affinity groups, and others on an international basis.

Elected Positions Held
A native of Florida, Mr. Keegan is a seasoned executive possessing a business background with an emphasis in strategic thought, policy formulation and change implementation. Throughout the years, Mr. Keegan has achieved a record of success, political experience and a large network of productive relationships that support complex problem solving within corporate, senior governmental and military industries. Mr. Keegan has held a number of elected offices within Florida. Since 2002 he has continually been reelected as Chairman of the Biscayne Shores Community Council (Miami-Dade County). A political operative and commentator, Mr. Keegan has served on a number of State and local advisory boards including: the Florida Education Commissioner's Advisory Council, the City of Miami Finance Committee, The Urban League of Greater Miami, and the Miami-Dade Police Advisory Council.

Media Involvement
Mr. Keegan has been published in a number of news articles covering topics of state and national political interest. He has provided on-camera commentary to various news organizations including; ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, AP, UPI, USA Broadcasting, Knight-Ridder and McClatchy Newspapers.

Service as USAR Ambassador
In addition to his professional and civic responsibilities, in 2003 Mr. Keegan was appointed by Lieutenant General Ron Helmly, (then) the Chief of the US Army Reserve (USAR) to serve as the USAR Ambassador for Florida. In this (“twostar” equivalent) position, Ambassador Keegan worked with Federal, State and local elected leaders to support the Army Reserve’s legislative initiatives, provide guidance to USAR leadership and recognize citizen soldiers and their families throughout the State of Florida.

Commissioning as an MI Officer
In 2006, after successfully lobbying for increased recruitment ages for prospective National Guard and Reserve Soldiers, Mr. Keegan resigned his Ambassadorship and was accepted for duty (at the age of 44) as a uniformed member of the Army Reserve. In early 2009, 1LT Keegan volunteered for a combat assignment to Afghanistan where he supported US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and the Joint Intelligence Operations Center, Afghanistan. The highlight of Keegan’s six-month deployment was his involvement in Operation Firestarter, a cooperative effort between the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and the Afghan Ministry of the Interior in order to reduce drug production and trafficking in Afghanistan. As a result of the operation, a heroin lab capable of producing large amounts of heroin was seized and destroyed. Having distinguished himself during his deployment, 1LT Keegan was presented with the prestigious Defense Meritorious Service Medal in recognition of his contributions to the Afghan NATO / ISAF mission.

Military Awards
In March of 2010, 1LT Keegan receive the Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal from the Military Intelligence Readiness Command (MIRC) in recognition of his leadership in amassing and distributing 1,200,000lbs. of food, water, medical equipment and supplies to the people of Haiti following that country’s recent earthquake. Promoted in 2011, Captain Keegan was recently honored as a recipient of the MI Corps Association, “Knowlton Award” presented to individuals who have contributed significantly to the promotion of US Army Intelligence in the eyes of previous recipients, military superiors, subordinates, and peers.

Coalition of Hope Foundation
In 2005, Mr. Keegan launched the Coalition of Hope Foundation (COH). This ambitious “not for profit” (501C3) organization seeks to provide a forward deployed, ocean-going, quick response platform that in addition to state-of the-art hospital facilities, includes an array of multinational medical personnel, first responders, air-lift capability, heavy equipment, emergency supplies, food and water in support of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) efforts under a joint United States / United Nations / COH accord.

Education and Home Life
Mr. Keegan holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Florida State University and is working towards a Master’s Degree from the American Military University. He and his wife, Dr. Maria A. Keegan, reside in Northeast Miami-Dade County, Florida.